"Oh No, It's The Martians"

Hi yall!! It's been the longest fastest week ever. Time is so weird haha. 

Lots of miracles are happening here in Knoxville and I'm so blessed to be a part of it:)) our friends Doug and Christian came to church yesterday! They are seriously SO COOL!! Doug brought his parents too!!! We were able to divide and conquer and have three lessons at the same time because of our awesome ward. Sundays are kind of a lot with being at the church from 8:30-6:00 but it's still a party. My favorite part is teaching mission prep to the youth!!! They are all my besties, I love them so much. It's weird that I was in mission prep just a year ago, and now I'm on my mission teaching mission prep to the youth. Time is whack. 

Last week we had zone pday and it was SO MUCH FUN!! We played lots of ultimate Frisbee and kickball. Let me tell ya, being 5'2 and not being able to catch doesn't make me the most valuable asset to have on the team lol. But it was still fun. It's always an ego boost when you're up to kick in kickball and everyone starts backing up HAHA. 

There was a baptism in the YSA branch this week and it was so fun to be at! So many missionaries there too haha. Doug got to come and he said that he felt the spirit so strong!!:)))) MIRACLES!!! 

There was some discouraging times this week. We found out most of our progressing friends started meeting with us just to prove us wrong. It's sad and frustrating, because they are missing out on so much. A big roadblock here in the south is that most people won't pray and ask if the Book of Mormon is true. They believe it's an abuse of power. The simple act of praying would let them know of the truth, and they won't do it. They also come up with all the bashing scriptures, lots of grace vs works haha. Through all these experiences this week, I've become so grateful for my testimony and the experiences I've had. Even with people bashing us left and right, I'm still able to rely on the Spirit that I've felt, the experiences I've had, and the testimony I've been able to grow. Though it's been really hard in those lessons, I always come out of it grateful for what I know to be true!! 

This week before our social media meeting, the vehicle coordinator needed help transferring new cars so we got to help out. Man it was a funny sight to see 6 equinoxes following a kidnapper van. Being on the social media team is so much fun. We get a lot of work done too, don't worry;)

I've been deep diving into the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon this week and now I can say I actually like them HAHA. In 2 Nephi 19, Isaiah is prophesying the coming of the Messiah. When talking about Him, he refers to Christ as "Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Verse 6)" I went into studying the names and pondering about why Isaiah mentioned the names that he did. "Wonderful Counselor" really stuck out to me. As I was studying it, I came across a passage that I really liked: "It is as if the judge in that great courtroom in heaven, unwilling to ask anyone but himself to bear the burdens of the guilty people standing in the dock, takes off his judicial robes and comes down to earth to bear their stripes personally. Christ as merciful judge is as beautiful and wonderful a concept as that of Christ as counselor, mediator, and advocate." 

I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I'm forever grateful that I get the chance to get to know them better each day:) 

Have a blessed week!!! LOVE YALL!!!

<3 Sister Erekson